Re: "Dark City"
> Ha! Best? It wasn't even very ORIGINAL! It just goes to show¿ that you can steal enough stuff from other films, so that when¿ you throw it all together, people will think it's inventive,
It is an inventive film, IMO, and yes it does bear many influences and even rip-offs from other films. The two aren't mutually exclusive. Dark City is proud enough of the influences that it provides an in depth comparison with the classic film Metropolis among the bonus features on the DVD. And the aspects of characters which seem movie cliches, like Hurt's noir detective, fit the story, as they're people playing roles in an experiment designed by the strangers. The strangers literally cast the city each day much like a filmmaker casts a film. It could just be that you're dismissing what you haven't thought through enough. Which is understandable, as the first viewing of Dark City is primarily spent trying to figure out what the @#!!! is going on.
You seem to think stealing from previous works is bad, but all the great directors do it. Martin Scorsese has said he rips off the French New Wave films - in particular Jules & Jim - in almost every film he makes. As Morrissey says, genius steals. What emerges in Dark City is an inventive, original film which is both great storytelling and a stylistic tour de force. The story also has the guts not to fall into formula the final third as most films of it's sort unfortunately do.¿ like that "Fifth Element" thing.
Fifth Element was fun, but I only thought it was pretty good.¿Having said that, I¿ did enjoy "Dark City," but I'd never watch it again,
Dark City is the sort of film which grows on you more and more each time you see it. You might wanna give it one more look.¿ and certainly wouldn't buy it. "Starship Troopers" is¿ much cooler on DVD...
I rented the Starship Troopers DVD. That movie is fun too, and the DVD transfer was very well done. I think it's a much cooler movie than people give it credit for, and you've gotta love seeing Doogie Howser as a fascist! But it's nowhere near the league of Dark City.
Dark City, Happiness and Babe: Pig in the City are far and away the coolest films of those I saw in 1998. Shakespeare in Love and Life is Beautiful get honorable mentions.